I've seen some questions discussing the capitalization of "queen" in general, but I'm wondering if you would ever capitalize the "my" in "my queen," particularly in a line of dialogue such as "Very well, my queen" or "It will be done, my queen." The queen being referenced is a fictional one of a fictional country.
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2Well certainly not if you aren't capitalising queen; but I wouldn't unless it's a particularly meaningful phrase in that fictional country. Compare with "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - (In She, the phrase is usually written "She-who-must-be-obeyed", without capitals).– JHCLCommented Oct 7, 2015 at 10:24
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4Speaking as someone who lives in a monarchy, I always cringe when I see 'My Queen' used as a form of address. The correct forms are, "Your Highness", "Your Majesty" etc. The short forms are, "Highness" or "Majesty"– chasly - supports MonicaCommented Oct 7, 2015 at 10:27
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1@chaslyfromUK Actually I believe all the members of the Royal Family call their mothers "Mummy" when being informal. But anyway, Shakespeare. (Antony and Cleopatra, Act IV Scene 14, line 3041).– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Oct 7, 2015 at 10:41
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2@chaslyfromUK One does not speak about The anything like that. One does not the capitalize articles of proper nouns.– tchrist ♦Commented Oct 7, 2015 at 10:59
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2Perhaps one might read the question. "Very well, my queen."– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Oct 7, 2015 at 11:46
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6 Answers
Given that the speaker could use their intonation/emphasis to differentiate their own use of "My Queen," as a title and "my queen," as a common noun, differing capitalization could lend the same nuance to the written dialogue.
When writing fiction, it could also be useful to imply a character's loyalty, respect, or reverence to this queen, by capitalizing the title in their reported speech. This obviously comes much closer to a stylistic decision than a strictly functional grammatical decision. For your most careful readers, though, this detail could add another layer to characters that would otherwise need gratuitously overt declarations of their loyalties — which could disrupt the flow of the passage or just seem ham-fisted.
You may or may not, depending on the context. My Queen is a definite title or a mark of respect, and is usually used by utterly loyal servants to address their female master. As for my Queen, it is usually used whenever it is usually used by commoner to address their master or for higher ranking servants of the queen to address her. But, take note that often, Middle English and plays often use "My Queen" and "my Queen" is used in more modern productions.
P.S. This is my first answer. Comment if it's wrong
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Welcome to English Language & Usage! This answer would be better if you provided sources or usage examples (particularly related to your comparison of Middle English and plays vs. more modern productions). I hope you'll take the tour to learn more about this site. Commented Oct 30, 2015 at 12:32
If the question relates specifically to dialogue (and it does), then the choice to capitalize or not resides completely with the author. It's a stylistic choice, and an editor would only insist on consistency. I.e., "...my queen" in all instances, or "...My Queen" in all instances.
See: this page, under "Language" C11.
I've seen it both ways in books. Generally the capitalization implies great loyalty to the person being addressed. I don't think there's a standard form here (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
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Questioner here - an extension of the question: why, if this is such a murky issue, do you definitely capitalize the "Your" in "Your Highness/Majesty"? Commented Oct 14, 2015 at 20:50
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Because it's a specific title. This is why it's a murky area- because "my queen" isn't necessarily a common title, it's unclear whether or not it deserves capitalization (it could just me a form of address- you wouldn't capitalize "my daughter"). If in a book, the title is commonly used as a title, it's probably best to capitalize it (however, as I noted above, I've found this mostly happens when the populace is especially loyal). Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 1:59
I would capitalize "My Queen" because it is a title. You would capitalize "Mom" or "Dad" for the same reason. You however would not capitalize "my mom" or "my dad" because that is who they are. "My Queen" is tricky because it's both a title and describing who the person but you would capitalize "My Majesty" therefore you would capitalize "My Queen".
Since a Queen is still a Queen in some nations even today as per their Constitution,it has to be capitalized. Since "My" is also an integral part of the formal address,it needs to be capitalized also. Abhilaaj.
